A reception for Amodei was hosted by the Northern Nevada Republican Women (shown right with the candidate).

Although Amodei was the former chairman of the GOP and the president of the Nevada Mining Association, many of the event attendees acknowledged they didn’t know much about him.

When Sharon McAllister was asked what she knew about the candidate she replied, “Nothing.  I’m here to learn.”

The same was true for Candace Puls, who acknowledged her attention has been on the national news.

After spending considerable time speaking with the candidate, Puls said, “I think he’s very genuine, personable, and down-to-earth.”

She asked him about the possibility for future town hall, similar to those hosted over the telephone by other representatives, but Amodei said it was his preference to spend time in the district talking face-to-face with the constituents.

Puls said she found his willingness to attend get-togethers, like the one held Tuesday, admirable.

Resident Norla Draper, on the other hand, came with a message for the candidate.

She said, “What I want is a candidate who can go to Congress and vote in the interest of the people and not party affiliations.”

This was supported by the folks sitting with her.

She said she was tired of smear campaigns and commented, “All I want to know is what they’re going to do in Congress -- not all that other stuff about other campaigns.”

Amodei stopped by Draper’s table and promoted his military service, in which he was with the Army JAG Corps, his years of experience as an attorney in which he worked on land-use issues, and his 12 years in the Nevada Legislature.

His platform includes the following:

• Amodei has campaigned on a tax-fairness platform in which he pledges to 1) make the Bush-era tax cuts permanent, 2) support the abolishment of the estate tax, 3) retain the mortgage interest deduction on primary and secondary homes, and 4) reduce the marginal tax rates on individuals and small businesses (the marginal tax rate is – in essence -- the additional money owed in taxes as incomes increase, which some believes discourages people from working harder and earning more money).
• Further, Amodei supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
• On the energy front, Amodei supports more US drilling (to include the Outer Continental Shelf and Arctic Coastal Plain in Alaska), more energy exploration in the US, and increased oil refinery capacity by rolling back certain EPA regulations currently in place that hinder the development of refineries.
• Supports securing US borders as the first step in a comprehensive immigration policy.
• On the national security front Amodei would place funding of US troops in the field as the top budgetary priority for the Pentagon; would focus defense spending on innovation and new technology.
• A federal water policy that would, among other things, would require fair allocation of water from the Lower Colorado River.
• Supports protection of 1872 Mining Law.

Amodei pointed out whoever is elected will only have 16 months to serve.  He promoted himself as the candidate who was most able to pick up quickly from where Dean Heller left off.

On hand to help promote his fellow legislator was Assemblyman Ira Hansen who said, “Mark will carry on the conservative pattern established by Dean Heller. They seem to be cut from the same cloth and they will be an excellent duo for our state.”

He concluded, “Mark will hit the ground running.”

(shown from left) Ira Hansen, Mark Amodei, Di An Putnam, Pete Goicoechea

Mark Amodei is shown promoting his experience to local voters.

In what many hoped would become a popular political trend,

the reception for Amodei was held at Bella Grazia and was catered by Food for Thought.